Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Much of the hands-on care in care homes is provided by care assistants, many of whom are women, from different ethnocultural backgrounds to residents, who have low income and limited education. However, families also play an important role; in Canada, they contribute over 44 million hours of care work each year. Staff and family members' perceptions of each others' roles potentially impact how their relationships evolve. Drawing on data from a larger study, this presentation explores family members' perceptions of care assistants and their work. Three key themes emerged: role expectations; being the `right' kind of person for the job; and the role of gender, race and class in reinforcing notions of care. Findings highlight how ideas and attitudes about gender, race and class appear to shape families' beliefs about care assistants' skills and potentially draw attention away from the modifiable structural constraints (e.g., staffing levels, workload) influencing care work.